Safe Blood Transfusion Practices among Nurses in a Major Referral Center in Ghana

Table 2

Patient preparation before blood transfusion.

Variable	Frequency	Percentage (%)
A nurse should check the availability and patency of an intravenous access line after bringing blood to the ward
True	220	78.85
False	59	21.15
Blood collection from the blood bank should take place before the administration of any prescribed premedication(s)
True	228	83.21
False	46	16.97
What should be the nurse’s immediate decision on physician’s order of “give one unit of packed cells IV”? (one answer requested)
Collect blood and clarify the order with the physician prior to administration	53	19.00
Seeking assistance from the head nurse/nursing supervisor	10	3.58
Collect blood and transfuse the patient	210	75.27
Refuse to collect and administer blood	6	2.15
On what issues should the patient be informed before each blood transfusion episode?
Reasons for blood transfusion	240	86.02
Management of the acute transfusion reaction	10	3.58
Risks of blood transfusion	68	24.37
Reaction symptoms	100	35.84
Possible consequences of rejecting to have the transfusion	4	1.43
When should the baseline vital signs be recorded before initiating blood transfusion?
Within 2 hours	2	0.82
Within 1 and 1/2 hours	4	1.63
Within 1 hour	6	2.45
Within 30 minutes	233	95.10